COVID-19 UPDATE:Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the DARA studio is currently closed to all students and visitors.Part-time classes for the Spring 2020 Trimester have been postponed until 4 May.

Students enrolled in part-time classes during the Spring 2020 Trimester are asked to please check their email regularly for studio updates. We appreciate everyone's patience as we determine how to best respond to this situation, and we wish everyone safety and wellness during this difficult period.

A fundamental facet of study in traditional ateliers, drawing and painting from plaster casts expands an artist's understanding of how to create highly finished and naturalistic works from direct observational study.

Working from plaster casts (primarily reproductions after classical statues), students in this class learn to translate three-dimensional space onto a flat picture plane in a way that convincingly depicts volume, mass, and form. Using the sight-size method, students are encouraged to think about their drawings from a sculptural approach, from learning to simplify and block in increasingly complex forms, to moving beyond thinking in terms of line to thinking in terms of light and tonal mass.

All students begin working in charcoal; students who return for additional trimesters will advance to painting from the plaster casts in oils using a limited color palette.

The following materials are required for participation in this class. Many of the materials listed are common supplies that artists are likely to own already. Included below is also a list of recommended local art shops where supplies can be purchased in Haarlem or in surrounding cities. To download the Materials List as a PDF document, please click the button above.

Do you have any questions about any of the items on this list? Please send us an email at info@dutchartatelier.comand we will be more than happy to help.

Please note – all new students in this class begin with charcoal drawing. Returning students who advance beyond charcoal drawing will be provided with a list of oil painting materials by their instructor.

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

Nitram Charcoal – one box each of B, HB, and H. *Note: available for purchase at DARA; otherwise can be ordered online at Busch & van der Worp.

Knitting needle (or other similarly long, thin, and straight tool, such as a cooking skewer)

Ruler (preferably no smaller than 50cm)

Kitchen sponge

Tracing paper pad, size A3

1 or 2 synthetic-and bristle-hair paintbrushes, flat or filbert (“cat-tongue”), size 4-6*Note: these do not need to be fancy/high-quality brushes – the cheap all-purpose craft brushes will do just fine.

OPTIONAL MATERIALS:These additional supplies are not required for class, but students may find them useful to bring:

PAYMENT POLICYThe fee for this course is €450.* Once the Dutch Atelier of Realist Art (DARA) has notified the student of his or her acceptance into the course via email, the student is required to reserve a space in the class within two weeks.This can be done either by making a deposit payment equivalent to one-half of the course fee OR by signing up for our monthly installment plan (more information below). Spaces are not reserved until a deposit has been paid.

The final payment deadline for this course is 10 March 2020. This is also the final date that the option to sign up for our monthly installment plan is offered. After this deadline, new students may still be admitted into the course if there is room available, but are advised that the full course fee is due upon acceptance.

In the event that the necessary fees are not paid by the aforementioned deadlines, the student will be notified by email that he or she risks relinquishing their space in the class if the overdue fees are not paid within 7 days. Students who have neither paid the full course fee prior to the first day of the class, nor signed up for the monthly installment plan, are not permitted to attend under any circumstances.

*The Dutch Atelier of Realist Art is a vocational school recognized by the Centraal Register Kort Beroepsonderwijs (CRKBO). Students enrolled in our courses are therefore exempt from paying additional VAT (BTW).​​​​

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ACCEPTED PAYMENT METHODSDARA accepts payment through the following methods: cash, credit or debit card, Paypal, and wire transfer. All fees are payable in EUR. A confirmation of receipt is sent within 48 hours of receiving a payment.

Cash: Cash payments must be paid at a scheduled appointment in person. Please do not mail cash.

Credit Card / Debit Card / Paypal: Students may pay online using the link below. All online payments are processed through Paypal. *** Please note that an additional 3,5% processing fee is applied.

Wire Transfer: Please advise us when the transfer of funds has been made and provide a transaction number so we may track the payment. Our bank details are as follows:

ONLINE PAYMENTS​Students can use the link below to pay either the deposit or the full course fee online with a credit card, debit card, or Paypal account. All online payments are processed through Paypal.*** Please note that an additional 3,5% processing fee is applied.

Drawing & Painting from Plaster Casts

MONTHLY INSTALLMENT PLANDo you prefer to pay in monthly installments? DARA offers an online installment plan that automatically bills students every 30 days for the equivalent of one-third of the course tuition (with an additional 3,5% processing fee) for a total of three monthly payments. Students can sign up for the plan using the link below, which charges the first installment at checkout. Payments are accepted through credit card, debit card, and Paypal.

Please note: The installment plan requires use of a valid Paypal account in order to sign up. The final day to sign up for the installment plan is 10 March, 2020.*

* This offer has expired.​

​In the event that DARA is notified that a scheduled installment was not paid due to a lack of sufficient funds in the student's account:

Prior to the start of the trimester: the student is required to pay the full remainder of course fees through another accepted payment method before the final payment deadline. If the payment deadline has already passed, these fees are due within 7 days.

At any time during the trimester: the student is required to pay the full remainder of course fees through another accepted payment method within 7 days.

​If the student fails to adhere to this policy, he or she will be dismissed from the course for the rest of the trimester and will not be refunded.​​

STUDENT DISCOUNTAre you under the age of 21 OR are you enrolled in an accredited university programme during the Spring 2020 Trimester? If so, you qualify for a 10% student discount off the cost of any part-time course at DARA. To claim the discount, students must email a copy of a valid photo ID or student card to info@dutchartatelierbefore the start of the course.​ For students paying through the online monthly installment plan, the student discount is applied retroactively after the final installment has been paid.

All applicants are advised to review our Studio Policies before submitting a registration form.​

ADMISSIONSRegistration is open to students of any nationality, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age*, medical status, marital or civil status, religion, creed, or political affiliation. (*Please note that applicants under age 18 must have their parent or legal guardian provide express written permission via email that states that the applicant may be enrolled.)

Students may apply by completing an online registration form (available by clicking the "Apply Now" button above.) The registration period for new students begins 3 months prior to the start of the trimester, and ends 2 days before the first scheduled class. After submitting a registration form, the student will be sent an email notification within 48 hours as to the status of his or her acceptance in the course. The Dutch Atelier of Realist Art (DARA) reserves the right to refuse enrollment to any new or returning students deemed by the studio administration to be out of line with the programme's stated mission and policies, and/or disruptive to the studio and its attendees.

Registration is accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and it is therefore advisable for students to sign up for courses early while spaces are available. Spaces are very limited (between 8 – 10 students maximum per class) in order to ensure that each student receives a high level of individual attention and one-on-one instruction. Once a class has been filled, any subsequent applicants will be placed on a waiting list. In the event that a student cancels his or her registration and/or fails to pay the requisite course fees prior to the start of the trimester, the next student on the waiting list will receive the space in the class instead.​

WORKING IN THE STUDIOAll students agree to adhere to our Studio Policies as a condition of their continued enrollment in any part-time course offered at DARA. Students are expected to maintain a professional working environment at all times by respecting themselves, fellow students, models, guests, and instructors.

Students are expected to arrive to class on time and with the appropriate required materials in order to participate in class. During the trimester, each student is provided with storage space to store his or her art supplies, artwork, and personal belongings. Please note that all student belongings must be taken home by the last day of the trimester. DARA accepts no responsibility for the damage, loss, or theft of student property, except in cases solely attributable to the misconduct of a DARA staff member.

STUDENT ABSENCESIn the event that a student anticipates being absent from class, we kindly request that he or she notifies the instructor at the earliest opportunity. Instructors will provide absent students with any written class material, step-by-step images and examples, and/or homework assignments that were given in class via email. It is not possible to make up classes with an instructor outside of regularly scheduled class hours, and student absences are not refunded.

Although we understand that some absences are inevitable, we strongly encourage students to enroll only if they expect to maintain a minimum attendance level of 70%. Students who are frequently absent will miss valuable demonstrations, critiques, and in-class discussions that will make it difficult or impossible to benefit from the course, or to progress with the rest of their peers.​

STUDIO CANCELLATIONSThe minimum level of enrollment for this course to run is 4 students. In the event that this enrollment level is not attained, students will be notified 30 days in advance of the start of the course, and will be offered the option of either receiving a full refund* or transferring to a different course of their choosing (provided that space is available.) All refunds are processed within 7 days of studio cancellations.

During the trimester, if a single class session is cancelled for any reason, DARA will notify all students of the cancellation by phone and email. Every effort will be made to schedule a make-up class at a time convenient for the majority of students. Refunds for cancelled class sessions are awarded only in the event that no make-up class is scheduled. DARA reserves the right to substitute instructors and/or models during a class if no alternative is available.

*Please note that in the event of a studio cancellation, DARA is only responsible for refunding the cost of tuition, and not for any of the student's associated expenses, such as travel fare and/or purchase of class materials.​​

STUDENT CANCELLATIONSCancellations may be made by email notification to info@dutchartatelier.com. Students who cancel their registration within 14 days of submitting an application form are entitled to a full refund of fees.​ All refunds are processed within 7 days of the cancellation date.

After the 14-day grace period has passed, the following student cancellation policy applies:

If the cancellation is made more than 60 days in advance of the start of the course: the student is entitled to a 75% refund of fees.

If the cancellation is made more than 30 days in advance of the start of the course (but fewer than 60 days): the student is entitled to a 50% refund of fees.

If the cancellation is made with fewer than 30 days in advance of the start of the course: all fees become non-refundable.

In the event that a student withdraws his or her enrollment after the course has already begun, and the date of cancellation falls within the aforementioned 14-day grace period, the student is still required to pay the total cost of services rendered (calculated by the number of class dates the student was in attendance). The student will be refunded the remaining balance of fees.